Abstract:

A method of renting a rental article is provided including delivering the
rental article by a delivery service provider between rentees without
returning the rental article to a renter of the rental article; and
delivering the rental article to an article service provider, between
deliveries of the rental article, to two of the rentees, based upon a
predetermined event.

Claims:

1. A method of delivering an article from a first user to a second user
comprising:transporting the article by a delivery service provider from
the first user to an article service provider for servicing the article,
wherein the article service provider is selected based at least partially
upon proximity of the article to the article service provider;
andtransporting the article from the article service provider to the
second user, wherein the second user is selected based at least partially
upon proximity of the second user to the article service provider.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first and second users are rentees
of the article and the article service provider is not a renter of the
article.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the article service provider is a
cleaning service which cleans the rental article.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the article service provider is an
inspecting service which inspects the rental article.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the article service provider is a
refurbishing or repair service which refurbishes or repairs the rental
article.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the article service provider is a
re-filling service which re-fills the rental article with a supply.

7. A method as in claim 1 further comprising preventing the article
service provider from learning identity and address information of the
first and second users.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein transporting the rental article by the
delivery service provider to the article service provider is in a mail
piece packaging not containing identity and address information of the
first user.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein transporting the rental article from the
article service provider to the second user is by the delivery service
provider in a mail piece packaging not containing identity and address
information of the second user.

10. A computer implemented method of renting a rental article
comprising:instructing, by a computer, a delivery service provider to
deliver the rental article between rentees, wherein the rental article
can be delivered between the rentees without returning the rental article
to a renter of the rental article;detecting a predetermined event on the
computer;based upon the predetermined event, instructing, by the
computer, the delivery service provider to deliver the rental article to
an article service provider; andselecting the article service provider
from a plurality of article service providers based, at least partially,
upon proximity of the article service providers to a current location of
the rental article.

11. A computer implemented method of renting a rental article
comprising:instructing, by a computer, a delivery service provider to
deliver the rental article between rentees, wherein the rental article
can be delivered between the rentees without returning the rental article
to a renter of the rental article; andidentifying, on the computer, a
third party to perform a virtual company service for the renter; andbased
upon a predetermined event, instructing, by the computer, the delivery
service provider to deliver the rental article to the third party;wherein
identifying the third party comprises selecting the third party based, at
least partially, upon location of the rental article relative to the
third party.

Description:

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001]This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/503,442 filed Aug.
11, 2006, which is owned by Pitney Bowes Inc. the assignee of this
application.

BACKGROUND

[0002]The invention relates to rental articles and, more particularly, to
servicing of rental articles in a delivery stream process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR DEVELOPMENTS

[0003]Return merchandise and/or rental inventory is typically shipped to a
central location, repackaged and redistributed. The processing of
returned merchandise is costly both in terms of processing cost (manual
labor, facilities) and time (while the inventory is being processed it is
not generating revenue).

[0004]Recently, business models have evolved which require the continuous
dispatch and return of items between a company and its customers. One
example of such a business model is that employed by Netflix, Inc. at
www.netflix.com (hereinafter "Netflix"). Netflix allows its customers to
rent a digital video disk (DVD). To accomplish this, Netflix maintains an
inventory of DVDs of different video content, such as movies. Generally,
customers request a particular DVD title and once Netflix locates the
particular DVD title, Netflix dispatches it to the customer via a public
or private carrier for delivery. Then, when the customer is finished with
the particular DVD title or is required to return it, the customer
provides it to the carrier in a special envelope (bar-coded and return
delivery charges paid) for return to Netflix. Once returned, the
particular DVD title can be made available to another customer and the
process repeats itself.

[0005]This business model requires a sophisticated logistics operation.
Streamlining the logistics is a critical part of the cost structure of
the business relating to inventory control and management. Furthermore,
the logistics are unique in that every item that is selected, packed and
dispatched is also expected to be returned. This is very different from a
sales based business model where only a fraction of the dispatched items
are returned. The efficient handling of these dispatches and returns
which arrive back in essentially random order becomes a critical
competency that the company must possess. The more efficient that the
logistics operations are the less capital investment that is required to
purchase an inventory of sufficient size to satisfy the demand of the
customers.

[0006]Additionally, to increase efficiency a system of regional
distribution centers may be created to replace a single distribution
center that services the entire country. For example, a network of
distribution centers across the country decreases shipping times for both
the original dispatch and the return because the distances traveled have
been shortened. A far-flung distribution system, however, requires
sophisticated systems to track inventory for even greater efficiencies.
The various distribution centers may communicate and determine the
fastest way to get items into customers' hands. For example, an order
placed by a customer in one city will be assigned to the closest
distribution center. If the item is not available at that distribution
center, the system can poll the next-closest distribution center. If that
center doesn't have it, the system can contact the next closest, and so
on until the item is located. But, balancing inventory between the
distribution centers is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007]In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of renting
a rental article is provided comprising instructing a delivery service
provider to deliver the rental article between rentees, wherein the
rental article can be delivered between the rentees without returning the
rental article to a renter of the rental article; and based upon a
predetermined event, instructing the delivery service provider to deliver
the rental article to an article service provider.

[0008]In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of
delivering an article from a first user to a second user is provided
comprising transporting the article by a delivery service provider from
the first user to an article service provider for servicing the article,
wherein the article service provider is selected based at least partially
upon proximity of the article to the article service provider; and
transporting the article from the article service provider to the second
user, wherein the second user is selected based at least partially upon
proximity of the second user to the article service provider.

[0009]In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of
delivering an article from an article service provider to a user is
provided comprising mailing the article, by use of a delivery service
provider, to the user by the article service provider without the article
service provider knowing an address of the user; and having the delivery
service provider deliver the article to the user based at least partially
upon an article identifier on the article.

[0010]In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of
renting a rental article is provided comprising instructing a delivery
service provider to deliver the rental article between rentees, wherein
the rental article can be delivered between the rentees without returning
the rental article to a renter of the rental article; identifying a third
party to perform a virtual company service for the renter; and based upon
a predetermined event, instructing the delivery service provider to
deliver the rental article to the third party.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are
explained in the following description, taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic chart showing an example of some delivery
stream paths of a system and method incorporation features of the
invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a mail piece
for use with the method and system shown in FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a front view of a DVD of the mail piece shown in FIG. 2;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing some components of system which can be
used by a delivery service provider for use with the invention;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of some steps of the
invention which could be used by a rentee;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an example of some steps of the
invention which could be used by a delivery service provider;

[0018]FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of some steps of the
invention shown in FIG. 1;

[0019]FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating steps which could be used to
practice the invention;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating some components which could be used
by a rentee for practicing some steps of the invention;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a flow chart of some steps which could be used by an
owner/renter for practicing some of the features of the invention;

[0022]FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating connection of the renter
computer to the computer of the delivery service provider, and showing
the connection of a scanner to the computer of the delivery service
provider;

[0023]FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating some components of the
delivery service provider computer shown in FIG. 11;

[0024]FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating some components of the
renter computer shown in FIG. 11;

[0025]FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of communication connections
among various parties;

[0026]FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing steps which could be used in a
computer of the delivery service provider;

[0027]FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing steps which could be used in the
renter computer;

[0028]FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing steps which could be used in the
delivery service provider computer;

[0029]FIG. 18 is a flow chart of steps which could be used in the renter
computer; and

[0030]FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing functional modules which could be
used the renter computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031]Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a diagram of a combined delivery
system and virtual inventory system 10 incorporating features of the
invention. Although the invention will be described with reference to the
exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that
the invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. For
example, features of the invention could be used in a delivery system
without also having a virtual inventory component.

[0032]The system 10 generally comprises a delivery service provider or
carrier 12 and various deliveries and communications between the delivery
service provider 12 and other different parties. The delivery service
provider 12 could comprise any suitable type of physical mail or package
delivery service provider(s) including, for example, a government post or
mail service provider such as the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) or a courier
such as Federal Express, DHL or United Parcel Service (UPS). The delivery
service provider 12 could comprise combinations of more than one public
and/or private delivery service providers, such as different ones of the
delivery service providers at different times during a delivery.

[0033]In the example shown in FIG. 1, a owner/renter 14, who is also a
mailer in this example, gives the delivery service provider 12 at least
one mail piece 16 as indicated by arrow 18 for delivery by the delivery
service provider 12 to a first intended recipient 20 as indicated by
arrow 22. The mail piece 16 generally comprises a product or article
contained inside packaging, such as an envelope. Referring also to FIG.
2, one example of the mail piece 16 is shown. In this example the article
24 comprises a Digital Video Disk (DVD) and the packaging 26 comprises an
envelope. In an alternate embodiment the article 24 could comprise any
suitable product or article including, for example, a music CD, a book, a
computer game cartridge, sports equipment, a tuxedo, or just about any
product which might be used by more than one person through a rental
channel of trade.

[0034]As used herein, the term "renter" refers to an entity renting an
article to a "rentee", and "rentee" generally refers to a person or
entity renting an article from the "renter". Features of the invention
could be used with other products or article other than customarily used
in a rental channel of trade, such as for products which need servicing,
refurbishing, cleaning, etc. which then might not need to be returned to
the original user, such as a computer ink cartridge for example.

[0035]In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the envelope 26 forms a pocket 28
for receiving the DVD 24 and a flap 30 which can be sealed to enclose the
DVD 24 inside the pocket. The envelope 26 has two windows 32 located on
opposite sides. The windows 32 allow visual access to a portion of the
DVD 24 when the DVD is located in the pocket 28. Referring also to FIG.
3, the DVD has a content area 34 and a hub 36. As is known in the DVD
art, the content area comprises entertainment data stored in an optical
disk digital format for reading by a DVD player. The hub area 36 provides
an area for the DVD player to hold the DVD for spinning the DVD. When the
DVD 24 is located in the pocket 28, the hub area 36 is viewable through
the windows 32. In an alternate embodiment the envelope 26 might comprise
only one window, however, having two windows on opposite sides of the
envelope 26 allows the DVD 24 to be inserted in two orientations without
interfering with viewing of data on the hub 36 from outside the envelope.

[0036]In the embodiment shown, the hub 36 is provided with an article
identifier 38. The identifier 38 identifies the article 24 such as a DVD
of a particular movie, such as "The Sound of Music". In the embodiment
shown the identifier comprises a curved bar code. However, in alternate
embodiments any suitable visually observable machine readable code could
be provided on the hub 36. In one type of alternate embodiment, the hub
36 could additionally or alternatively comprise a radio frequency
identification (RFID) tag 40 on the hub. With the use of a RFID tag, the
package 26 does not need windows 32. The RFID tag can be read directly
through the packaging 26. The code 38/40 does not contain a delivery
address. It can merely comprise an identification number or article
identification for example.

[0037]The invention can provide features directed to altering processing
of mail in order to facilitate a virtual inventory. Different types of
modalities could be used to identify articles in the delivery stream. For
example, as described above, for a DVD a 2D Barcode could be placed on
the inner ring of the DVD. The barcode could be scanned through a window
in an envelope containing the DVD. Barcode and windows can be on both
sides. A florescence marking could be provided on the DVD to enable
facing (orienting) while being processed in the mail. A RFID marking
could be placed on the article for uniquely identifying the article to be
mailed and re-routed, or to be monitored by a home media center.

[0038]In the DVD example, in some cases it may not be possible to position
a clear window on the front of the envelope. In such a case the delivery
service could use a 2-step process for scanning code on the DVD, where
only one window is on the back of the envelope. First, the mail piece
could pass to identify the DVD envelope. Second, the mail piece could
pass to flip the mail piece and to read the code through the back window.

[0039]The invention can use control re-routing using the code on the item
showing through the window of an envelope (or otherwise readable without
removing the article from the mail piece packaging such as with a RFID
tag) or package that otherwise does not have a delivery address on it.
This creates what appears to be an anonymous delivery address mail piece.
Existing automated postal equipment could be used to bundle the anonymous
delivery address mail piece with the rest of an intended recipient's
mail, and the bundle is delivered to the recipient's address. If the
anonymous delivery address mail piece comes loose, a delivery person
could be equipped with a scanner to re-scan the item to determine to whom
it should be delivered.

[0040]Referring back to FIG. 1, when the mail piece 16 is initially mailed
by the owner/renter 14, the mail piece could comprise a delivery address
for the first intended recipient 20 on the mail piece 16 which is a human
readable form of delivery address and is easily viewable from the
exterior of the mail piece. If this is the case, than the mail piece 16
can be delivered by the delivery service provider 12 to the first
intended recipient 20 as indicated by arrow 22. However, in one type of
embodiment the mail piece 16 could be given to the delivery service
provider 12 by the owner/renter 14 without a human readable form of the
delivery address viewable from the exterior of the mail piece. In this
case, the delivery service provider 12 can use the article identifier 38
and/or 40 (referred to hereinafter merely as numeral "38") to identify an
item and determine the delivery address for mail piece 16 based upon
additional information provided by the owner/renter. For example,
owner/renter 14 could provide delivery service provider 12 with an
electronic file 50 via communication link 19. Communication link 19 may
be electronic or physical (e.g., a CD). As seen with reference to FIG.
11, in one embodiment the communication link 19 can connect the computer
140 of the renter 14 with the computer 142 of the delivery service
provider 12. The delivery service provider computer 142 is coupled to one
or more scanners 43 of the scanner system 42 by at least one link 144.
The link 144 could include a wireless link, such as with a mail carrier
in the field having a hand-held portable scanner, and/or a wired link,
such as in a mail routing facility having a stationary scanner in-line in
an automated mail stream handling path. File 50 may contain a mapping of
identifier-to-delivery addresses.

[0041]Referring also to FIG. 4, the delivery service provider 12
preferably comprises a scanner system 42, a delivery address determinator
system 44, a communication system 46, and an optional addressor system
48. The delivery service provider 12 can also comprise an invoicing
system such as, for example, for the invoicing of the renter 14 or the
rentee 20, 68 for the rentee-to-rentee delivery services.

[0042]The scanner system 42 is adapted to read the article identifier 38
while the article 24 is inside the mail piece packaging 26. For example,
if the article identifier 38 is a bar code viewable through the window
32, the scanner system 42 could include a bar code reader. As another
example, if the article identifier 38 is a RFID tag, the scanner system
42 could include an RFID scanner. The scanning system 42 could comprising
facing equipment for orientating the mail piece for proper reading of the
article identifier 38. Unlike conventional mail piece facing equipment,
which determines facing by a marking on the envelope, the scanning system
42 could determine facing by a marking on the article 24, such as the
article identifier 38 being printed with fluorescent ink. Alternatively,
facing could be determined by presence of a single window 32 on only one
side of the envelope. In one type of alternate optical disk embodiment,
the article identifier 38 could be printed on the content area 34 of the
DVD 24 (such as multiple times about both sides of the DVD content
area(s)) in addition to, or as an alternative to, being printed on the
hub 36. In this type of embodiment, a proper window would need to be
provided in the mail piece packaging 26 to view the article identifier.

[0043]Referring also to FIG. 12, the delivery service provider computer
142, which includes the deliver address determinator system 44, generally
comprises a processor 146, a memory 148, at least two inputs 150, 152,
and at least one output 154. The first input 150 is coupled to the
scanning system 42 and scanners 43. This can be used to input the article
identification number and perhaps its location. The second input 152 is
adapted to receive information from the renter 14, such as a reader for
reading the file 50 or via the communications link 19. The memory 148 can
store the information received from the inputs 150, 152. The processor
146 can determine the delivery address for an article based upon the data
from the inputs 150, 152, and perhaps store that information in the
memory 148. The output(s) 154 can be, for example, to an address label
printer, and/or a communication link to the renter or the rentee or a
third party.

[0044]The scanning system 42 is connected to the delivery address
determinator system 44. After scanning, the scanned article identifier
information can be used by the delivery address determinator system 44 to
determine the delivery address for the mail piece 16. In one type of
embodiment, the communication system 46 is connected to the delivery
address determinator system 44 and is used to supply the delivery address
determinator system 44 with information for determining the delivery
address for the mail piece. This can be based upon information supplied
to the delivery service provider separate from the mail piece 16 itself.
In one type of method, the owner/renter 14 communicates an electronic
file 50 to the communicator system 46, such as a MAIL.DAT® file. The
file 50 could be delivered by hand, or sent to the delivery service
provider 12 by email via link 19, or uploaded to a web site of the
delivery service provider, for example. The communications between the
delivery service provider and the owner/renter 14 via the communicator
system 46 could be one-way communications, but is preferably two-way
communications.

[0045]One use of a MAIL.DAT® file is described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/321,175 (Attorney Docket No.: F-973), which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. MAIL.DAT® is a
standard embraced by a significant portion of the mail production
industry and the USPS. MAIL.DAT® is a relational database of nineteen
"connected" files describing characteristics that can exist within a
mailing. MAIL.DAT files contain blank user fields which can be used by a
mailer. The USPS accepts MAIL.DAT® as an electronic representation of
the mailing and as a replacement for the traditional hardcopy
documentation. Although a preferred embodiment is described using a
MAIL.DAT® file as the electronic file delivered from the owner/renter
14 to the service provider 12, the electronic file might not be a
MAIL.DAT® file. The electronic file could comprise any suitable
electronic file having information regarding the mail pieces. The
invention can also use advance notification of a mail piece and/or
contents of a mail piece similar to the systems and methods described in
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/027,176 and 11/027,175, both filed
Dec. 29, 2004 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entireties.

[0046]The electronic file 50 preferably comprises a correlation or list of
article identifications to delivery addresses. For example, the file 50
could comprise a delivery address "1 Smith Road, New York, N.Y. 10003"
for article identification No. "123456789", and a delivery address "2
Jones Road, Shelton, Conn. 06484" for article identification No.
"987654321". Thus, by reading the article identification 38 of the mail
piece and receiving the electronic file by the communicator system 46,
the delivery address determinator system 44 can use these two pieces of
information to determine the intended delivery address of the mail piece
16. In one type of preferred embodiment, each article has a unique
article identifier. For example, two different copies of the DVD of "The
Sound of Music" could have different article identifiers. In a preferred
embodiment the copies have different article identifiers to enable the
ability to track use and possible damage of each particular article
individually. However, in another alternate embodiment, different copies
of the same article could have a common article identifier. For example,
two copies of the DVD "The Sound of Music" could have a same article
identifier.

[0047]After the delivery address determinator system 44 determines the
delivery address for the mail piece (in this example the delivery address
of the first intended recipient 20), the delivery service provider 12 can
deliver the mail piece 16 as indicated by arrow 22. To help facilitate
delivery, the addressor system 48 can be used to place the delivery
address on the exterior of the envelope 26, for example, such as by
printing a label with the delivery address and placing the label on the
envelope. Thus, the process of physically addressing the mail piece (if
desired) when introduced into the delivery stream by the mailer (e.g.,
owner/renter 14), and/or the first intended recipient, and/or a
subsequent recipient, can be outsourced to the delivery service provider
12. Alternatively, the first intended recipient and/or a subsequent
recipient could perform physical addressing for the next address if
desired. In alternate embodiments, any suitable marking or labeling of
the envelope 26 could be provided. Alternatively, the mail piece 16 might
not be labeled or physically marked by the delivery service provider 12
with the delivery address of the first intended recipient. Instead, the
mail piece 16 might merely be placed with other mail to be delivered to
the first intended recipient 20 as a batch.

[0048]Referring also to FIG. 6, with the invention, a method of delivering
a mail piece can be provided comprising scanning the mail piece for a
mail piece identifier (such as an article identifier) as indicated by
block 64, wherein the mail piece identifier is on a product inside a mail
piece packaging of the mail piece, and determining 66 a first mail piece
delivery address of the mail piece based upon the mail piece identifier,
wherein the mail piece does not contain a human readable form of the mail
piece delivery address thereon which can be read from an exterior of the
mail piece. Rather than being on the article, the article identifier
could be on a packaging of the article inside the mail piece packaging,
such as a jewel case of the DVD for example, or on the mail piece itself
(e.g., on the envelope).

[0049]The mail piece identifier can comprise a machine readable bar code.
The mail piece identifier can comprise a radio frequency identification
tag. Determining 66 the mail piece delivery address can comprise
comparing the mail piece identified to information supplied by an owner
of the product to the delivery service provider as indicated by block 74.
The information supplied by the owner can comprise an electronic file
comprising the mail piece delivery address for the mail piece identifier.
The electronic file can be delivered 74 to the delivery service provider
at about a same time as delivery of the mail piece to the delivery
service provider.

[0050]Referring also to FIG. 5, delivery of the article from the
owner/renter 14 to the first intended recipient 20 will ordinarily
commence upon the first intended recipient placing an order 52 for the
article 24. For example, when the article 24 is a DVD the order could be
a rental order placed by the Internet via a personal computer of the
first intended recipient 20; similar to the movie rental service supplied
by NETFLIX, Inc. However, any suitable ordering system could be provided
including, for example, by telephone, by text messaging, or by mail.
Alternatively, the article might first be picked up at a store by the
first customer and subsequently mailed to a second customer by the first
customer. In one type of alternate method, the mail piece 16 might be
mailed to the first intended recipient 20 without first being ordered by
the first intended recipient; such as a promotional mailing, or a
scheduled mailing, or with mailing of another article, for example.

[0051]Referring also to FIG. 13, the computer 140 of the renter 14
generally comprises at least two inputs 156, 158, a processor 160, a
memory 162 and at least one output 164. The first input 156 can comprise
an input for communication from the rentee 20 or 68. The second input can
comprise an input for communication from the delivery service provider
12. The memory 162 can store the information received from the inputs
156, 158. The processor 160 can perform various different functions as
described herein based upon the data from the inputs 156, 158, and
perhaps store that information in the memory 162. The output(s) 164 can
be, for example, a communication link to the delivery service provider
12, or the rentee, or a third party.

[0052]The mail piece 16 will be received by the first intended recipient
20 as indicated by block 54. If the first intended recipient 20 is
unavailable to receive the mail piece 16, such as when the first intended
recipient is away on vacation and has placed a hold mail order with the
delivery service provider 12, the delivery service provider 12 can take
suitable action such as notifying the owner/renter 14 and requesting
instructions, or automatically sending the mail piece to a new intended
recipient and notifying the owner/renter of this action. An instruction
to the delivery service provider from the renter could be an "ongoing"
instruction for some circumstances. Thus, the delivery service provider
might not need to contact the renter for instructions in certain
circumstances. After receipt of the mail piece 16, the first intended
recipient 20 can use the article 16 as a rented article; i.e., view the
DVD 24. When completed using the article or otherwise desiring to
complete rental of the article by the first intended recipient 20, the
first intended recipient can resend 56 the article with the delivery
service provider 12.

[0053]The first intended recipient 20 can use the packaging 26 to resend
the article if the packaging 26 is reusable. However, in a preferred
embodiment the mail piece packaging is intended to be discarded and the
article 24 is intended to be resent by repackaging. The first intended
recipient 20 repackages 58 the article 24 in a new packaging. In one type
of embodiment, the owner/renter 14 sends the first intended recipient 20
blank envelopes 26 as indicated by arrow 60 in FIG. 1 separate from
delivery of the mail piece 16. The blank envelopes 26 could alternatively
or additionally be shipped with the mail piece 16, and/or available in
kiosks at retail areas, such as grocery stores for example, or be
distributed by delivery service provider 12 along with the item.

[0054]As seen in FIG. 1, as indicated by arrow 56, the article 24 and new
packaging 26 are sent from the first intended recipient 20 to the
delivery service provider 12 as a second mail piece 62. When the second
mail piece 62 is mailed by the first intended recipient 20 it preferably
does not contain a human readable form of the intended new delivery
address on the new packaging or a human readable form of the intended new
delivery address viewable from the exterior of the mail piece 62. The
first mail recipient might not know where the second mail piece 62 was
actually going to be delivered. However, in an alternate embodiment, the
first intended recipient might attach an address label to the second mail
piece 62, such as if downloaded by the first intended recipient's
computer or home entertainment center; the label having the delivery
address of the subsequent intended recipient. Alternatively, the
packaging could have the address of the owner/renter as the delivery
address which is only intended to be used as the delivery address if the
delivery service provider does not re-address the mail piece as
instructed by the owner/renter.

[0055]Referring also to FIG. 6 and FIG. 4, when the second mail piece 62
is received by the delivery service provider 12, the scanner system 42
can be used to scan 64 the second mail piece 62 and read the article
identification 38 again. The delivery service provider 12 can then
determine 66 the intended delivery address of the second mail piece 62 by
use of the delivery address determinator system 44 and communication
system 46 again.

[0056]In a preferred method, similar to the method described above, as
indicated by arrow 19 in FIG. 1 the owner/renter 14 communicates another
electronic file 50 to the communicator system 46. The new electronic file
50 preferably comprises a correlation or list of article identifications
relative to delivery addresses. Thus, by reading the article
identification 38 of the mail piece and receiving the electronic file by
the communicator system 46, the delivery address determinator system 44
can use these two pieces of information to determine the intended
delivery address of the mail piece 62. Alternatively, the delivery
address determinator system 44 could use the communication system 46 to
query the owner/renter 14 where the mail piece 62 should be addressed to.
Similar to that described above, the addressor system 48 can be used to
place the delivery address on the exterior of the envelope 26 of the mail
piece 62, for example, such as by printing a label with the delivery
address and placing the label on the envelope. The delivery service
provider 12 can then deliver 67 the mail piece 62 to the subsequent
intended recipient 68 as indicated by arrow 70 in FIG. 1. Thus, the same
article 24 can be used by the first intended recipient 20 and
subsequently sent to a subsequent intended recipient 68 without returning
the article 24 back to the owner/renter 14.

[0057]No intermediate return and re-distribution center operated by the
owner/renter 14 is needed. Instead, the method uses the delivery service
provider 12, such as the USPS for example, as a return and
re-distribution center in combination with the address determination
method. This can alleviate the owner/renter 14 from having to operate
return and re-distribution centers. This can obviously save a
considerable amount of money. The delivery service provider 12 can also
charge the owner/renter 14 for the service they provide. Delivery of the
article 24 between recipients 20, 68 can be accelerated versus otherwise
having to ship the mail piece 62 to and from an intermediate return and
re-distribution center, such as the owner/renter 14 itself.
Alternatively, if accelerated deliver is not desire, the path of the mail
piece 62 used by the delivery service provider 12 can be selected to
delay delivery. This could be used to control inventory in the delivery
stream 18, 22, 56, 12, 70, 78.

[0058]As seen in FIG. 6, when the delivery service provider 12 transfers
the mail piece 62 from the first intended recipient 20 to the subsequent
intended recipient 68, the provider 12 can apply an address to the mail
piece 62 as indicated by block 72, send at least one communication as
indicated by block 74, and/or invoice as indicated by block 76. The
communication 74 can be by any suitable means and can be with any
suitable party, such as the owner/renter 14, the first intended recipient
20, and/or the subsequent intended recipient 68, for example. For
example, the communication 74 could be with the owner/renter 14
indicating that the first intended recipient 20 has re-deposited the
article 24 back into the deliver/mail stream, or requesting approval of
delivery charges to the next destination. The owner/renter 14 could also
use this information to determine the length of time the recipient 20 had
possession of the article 24. Such information could be used to calculate
time based rental charges (e.g., per day fees or late fees). The
owner/renter 14 could respond to that communication with instructions for
subsequent delivery of the mail piece 62 to its next intended
destination. The communication could be with the subsequent intended
recipient 68 indicating that the article in the mail piece 62 is on its
way to the subsequent intended recipient 68. The communication could be
with the first intended recipient 20 indicating receipt of the mail piece
62. These are only some examples. There could also be communications with
third parties, such as the creator of the content of the article (a
motion picture studio for example) or an advertising firm for marketing
data to help promote sales or rentals of the article, or report
distribution to support royalty payments.

[0059]Referring also to FIG. 14, some examples of communication links
among the parties and their equipment are shown. FIG. 14 shows the
communications link 19 as a two-way communications link between the two
computers 140, 142. Equipment of the rentee 20, 68 can have
communications links 168, 170 to and from the renter computer 140 (which
could be a single two-way communications link) and communications links
172, 174 to and from the delivery service provider computer 142 (which
could be a single two-way communications link). Equipment of a third
party 166 can have communications links 176, 178 to and from the renter
computer 140 (which could be a single two-way communications link) and
communications links 180, 182 to and from the delivery service provider
computer 142 (which could be a single two-way communications link).
Equipment of the rentee 20, 68 can have communications links 184 to and
from the third party 166 (which could be a single two-way communications
link). In alternate embodiments, all of these links might not be
provided.

[0060]Referring back to FIG. 6, the invoicing 76 could be to the
owner/renter 14 prior to delivery to the subsequent intended recipient or
could be automatic debiting for example. Alternatively, the first
intended recipient 20 could be invoiced or the subsequent intended
recipient 68 could be invoiced or otherwise charged the delivery charges
by the delivery service provider 12, such as a credit card charge. These
are only some examples.

[0061]Referring to FIG. 15 and FIGS. 6, 11 and 12, the equipment at the
delivery service provider 12 is adapted to receive 188 the ID-to-Address
information at the second input 152 and receive 190 the scan information
at the first input 150. The computer 142 can use this data to determine
66 the address for a scanned article. The equipment of the delivery
service provider can then perform such tasks as invoicing 76, generating
192 the address for the article, and perhaps signaling 194 a in the field
carrier who has the article. In addition, the equipment can communicate
74 with others, such as with a rentee as indicated by block 196, a third
party as indicated by block 198, and/or the renter as indicated by block
200, including data such as article ID, article location, article damage,
a query for instructions, and/or a query for approval of charges or
delivery. These are only some examples and should not be considered as
limiting.

[0062]As seen in FIG. 1, similar to that shown with respect to arrow 56,
when the subsequent intended recipient 68 is finished with using the
article 24 or otherwise wants to end possession of the article, the
article can be returned to the delivery service provider 12 as indicated
by arrow 78. However, entry of the article back into the delivery stream
again could be optional. This is described in more detail below. In most
circumstances, the subsequent intended recipient 68, similar to the first
intended recipient 20, will re-introduce the article back into the
delivery stream as shown by arrow 78 as a new mail piece. Thus, the
subsequent intended recipient 68 can use the process as shown in FIG. 5
similar to the first intended recipient. Similar to the first intended
recipient 20, the owner/renter 14 can send the first intended recipient
20 blank envelopes 26 as indicated by arrow 61 in FIG. 1 for repackaging
58.

[0063]When the new mail piece is received by the delivery service provider
12 from the subsequent intended recipient 68, the method described above
with respect to FIGS. 4 and 6 can be repeated for delivery of the article
as a new mail piece to another new subsequent intended recipient 68.
Steps 70 and 78 can be repeated as many times as desired without the
article ever having to be returned to the owner/renter or an intermediate
return and re-directing center. The owner/renter 14 merely communicates
to the delivery service provider 12 where the subsequent delivery address
for the new mail piece is each time the article is returned to the
delivery service provider 12. Again, the delivery service provider 12 can
query for this delivery information or the owner/renter can automatically
supply the information, such as on a regular or periodic schedule for
example.

[0064]The method can comprise determining a second mail piece delivery
address of a second mail piece having the product therein, based upon the
mail piece identifier, comprising comparing the mail piece identifier to
information supplied by an owner of the product to a delivery service
provider. Determining a second mail piece delivery address of the mail
piece can occur after delivery of the first mail piece to the first mail
piece delivery address. Determining a second mail piece delivery address
of the second mail piece can comprise determining a general location of
the mail piece when the second mail piece enters a delivery stream for
delivery to the second mail piece delivery address. Determining the first
mail piece delivery address can be accomplished, at least partially, by
the delivery service provider, and the method can further comprise, after
determining the first mail piece delivery address, placing a human
readable form of the mail piece delivery address on the mail piece by the
delivery service provider. Determining the first mail piece delivery
address can comprise use of an algorithm including general location of
the mail piece when scanned. Although use of scanning by the delivery
service provider is preferred to determine actual location of the
product, this is not always necessary. The location can be estimated by
the renter, such as based upon an address of an immediately prior rentee.

[0065]The invention can provide a method of sequentially delivering an
article to a plurality of the intended recipients. The method can
comprise determining a first delivery address of the article while the
article is inside a first mail piece packaging as a first mail piece; and
determining a second delivery address of the article while the article is
inside a second mail piece packaging as a second mail piece, wherein the
article can include a machine only readable address identifier used in
determining both the first and the second delivery addresses. The
invention can provide a method of controlling delivery of a mail piece in
a delivery stream comprising scanning the mail piece by a delivery
service provider to identify the mail piece, wherein the mail piece
comprises a machine only readable address identifier located inside the
mail piece; determining a delivery address to deliver the mail piece to
after the mail piece is scanned based upon the scanned identity of the
mail piece; and communicating the scanning of the mail piece to at least
one interested party. The interested party could be the owner/renter, or
the rentee, or a future rentee, or an intended recipient, or any third
party.

[0066]In one type of embodiment, the delivery service provider 12 could
partially control selection of the delivery address. For example, the
delivery service provider 12 could use an algorithm in combination with
information from the owner/renter 14 to select the delivery address
rather than only the owner/renter 14 selecting the precise delivery
address. For example, this could be used when there are multiple copies
of the article in the delivery stream of the delivery service provider 12
at different locations and different subsequent intended recipients
requesting the article at different locations. For example, the algorithm
could allow the delivery service provider 12 to send a first copy of the
article from New York City to Harford, Conn. or New Haven, Conn., and a
second copy of the article from Boston, Mass. to the other location. This
gives the delivery service provider 12 partial control over inventory
shipments that were heretofore unavailable. This could enable the
delivery service provider 12 to control its delivery assets more
efficiently, but still allow proper delivery of copies of the articles to
their intended recipients in a timely manner.

[0067]To improve the situation noted in the background section above, a
company/owner can work collaboratively with a carrier (delivery service
provider) to use the carrier's logistics system for inventory control. In
a preferred embodiment, the carrier's logistics system would allow for
delivering an item to a first customer, receiving the item back from the
first customer 20 as part of the return process, and again delivering the
item to a second customer 68 before returning the item to the
company/owner 14. To achieve this, the carrier 12 could scan an
identifying code on the reply envelope which identifies the item and
provide this and potentially other information (date, time, location,
etc.) to the company. Then, the company could provide an instruction to
the carrier as to where to route that item; either to a subsequent
customer or a company distribution center.

[0068]Since the company knows when the returning item is inducted into the
carrier's system, the company has confirmation earlier than provided in
previous article mail re-entry methods that the customer has started the
return process. With this earlier confirmation by the delivery service
provider to the company, this allows the company to dispatch a next item
to the customer without waiting for the actual receipt of the returning
item. Since the company can dispatch the returning item to a second
customer by instructing the carrier, the company needs less: [0069](i)
storage space at the distribution center; [0070](ii) people at the
distribution center to process incoming and outgoing items; [0071](iii)
inventory because the item spends less time in transit and handling at
the distribution center.

[0072]Carriers can also charge increased fees associated with this
service. With the invention, a company does not have to develop a core
competency of material handling and processing of incoming and outgoing
items. Instead, the company 14 can use carrier(s) 12 which have already
built a sophisticated network for this purpose. The carrier's logistics
infrastructure can become a virtual inventory system for the company. The
invention can facilitate the redirection of merchandise within a carrier
network; eliminating (or at least drastically reducing) the need for
returns processing facilities.

[0073]A merchandise owner can place tracking identification numbers (e.g.,
PLANET codes, 4-state codes, linear barcodes or RFIDs) on merchandise
that is transported via a carrier. When the carrier reads the tracking
number, ideally at induction into the delivery stream, the information
can be transmitted to the merchandise owner. The merchandise owner can
instruct the carrier where to ship the merchandise. The location may be
specific (e.g., a physical address) or general (e.g., a specific
processing center operated by the carrier). In the case of a general
address, the merchandise owner can instruct the carrier of an additional
specific address at a later time and before delivery. Thus, there could
be temporally spaced directions from the owner/renter 14 to the carrier
12 in a single delivery routing.

[0074]Delivery service provider induction addressing of items optimizes a
number of businesses. Rental inventories may be turned more efficiently
(rapidly and without handling at a central warehouse) by redirecting them
directly to another renter when they are returned (delivered with the
delivery service provider by the rentee). Merchandise may be pre-shipped
to various general locations (e.g., postal processing centers) in
speculation of demand, and perhaps re-routed prior to delivery to the
general location or held at the carrier's facility before subsequent
delivery to subsequently identified delivery addresses. With this type of
pre-positioning of the items in the delivery stream, purchasers of the
items could then get next day delivery. For example, an internet
retailer, such as Amazon.com for example, could ship an about to be
released book to several carrier distribution centers and offer next day
delivery, or potentially same day delivery, on the release date. This
could enable online retailers to compete with physical retail outlets
from a temporal view point of delivery. Additionally, returned
merchandise could be shipped/redirected to a new purchaser without the
need to return the merchandise to a central location. Finally, charities
could accept donations of goods via mail and redirect them to buyers
without ever having to handle the item.

[0083]With the number of DVD players growing from about 55.9 million U.S.
households in 2002 to about 97.6 million in 2007, annual spending on DVD
rentals are expected to soar from $3.2 billion to $8.4 billion during the
next five years, according to Adams Media Research of Cannel, Calif.
Rent-by-mail represents a significant trend in the industry. The DVD
rent-by-mail business model is sensitive to time savings because 70% of
the lifetime rental value of a DVD is earned within the first six months
of issue. If days in transit can be reduced, days in customer hands (and
hence, days generating revenue) can be increased.

[0084]Distance marketers, including catalog retailers and other mail order
marketers, often require advance authorization for merchandise returns.
Each return merchandise authorization (RMA) requires a customer service
call, which is estimated to cost anywhere from $1-$15. Intelligent Mail
could provide an automatic RMA.

[0085]For business models that anticipate sales returns through the mail,
companies could provide the consumer with bar coding or tagging that
identifies the merchandise to be returned. The return carrier can read
the bar code or tag at induction of the article into the delivery stream.
The carrier can make this information available to the company. The
company can use this information to direct the merchandise re-introduced
into the delivery stream to another sales customer while the merchandise
is in transit in the delivery stream, or anticipate and prepare to handle
the merchandise when it is subsequently delivered to the company by the
carrier. Two parts of the system can include merchandise tagging and
carrier data capture and reporting. Redirection in transit can add
considerable value to rental verticals.

[0086]Parcel tagging already exists, but does not solve the problem of
partial returns, such as a single item from a mail order or a single DVD
from a multi-DVD rental. With the invention, a single item from a
multi-item shipment can be sent/returned with great accuracy and earlier
confirmation/notification. Therefore, the coding/tagging solution might
range from bar-coded stickers that the consumer can affix to the parcel,
or RFID tags that can be read through the parcel for example.

[0087]A system similar to the USPS CONFIRM system could be used to allow
the induction worker for the post and/or private carrier to scan or read
the bar code or tag. In addition to parcel-specific information that is
captured today, the scan could capture merchandise-specific information,
such as a Stock Keeping Unit (SKU). Reporting could take place over the
Internet through secure sites.

[0088]Redirection in transit could be provided. This feature could
resemble mail forwarding, except that it could require input from the
company/owner 14, such as interactive input for example. The post or
carrier could develop a system to tie its logistics system to the
company's logistics system. The company could designate what would, in
effect, be a temporary change of address for a single piece of
merchandise. The goods could be directed to the next customer in line for
a DVD title, to a refurbishing center for processing, or to a specified
warehouse or retail location to balance inventory levels within a chain,
for example. The post or carrier would generate and apply a corrected
address label, and could deliver the merchandise to the requested
address. Redirection could be a general redirection, such as all products
should be redirect to inventory location X, or could be a specific
redirection related to renter motivation, such as based upon a rentee
canceling a rental order, a rentee not paying a bill, a rentee having bad
credit, or a rentee becoming classified as a "bad rentee" because of
prior damage to rental articles for example. In these specific
redirection situations, a rental article initially designated for the
specific rentee can be redirected to a new different rentee or different
location. The redirection can be motivated based upon specific
rentee/customer behavior or status. The general redirection could be
based upon factors other than specific rentee/customer behavior or
status.

[0089]Referring also to FIG. 7 there is shown a flowchart which
illustrates one method of operation of the invention. A Merchandise Owner
(MO) can assigns a unique tracking number to an item as indicated by
block 80. Ideally the tracking number is in a form already recognized by
the carrier that will deliver the item. The item is then packaged for
shipment with the tracking number affixed. The number may be:
[0090]printed on the packaging (e.g., in a PLANET, 4-state or delivery
confirmation code), [0091]printed on the item and viewed through a window
in the packaging, or [0092]contained in an electronic device such as an
RFID or contact-less smart card placed within the packaging or on the
item.

[0093]The MO then ships the item As indicated by block 82. The carrier
scans 84 the tracking number from the item and reports the presence of
the item to the MO. The MO can then determine the destination of the item
and communicates 86 the destination to the carrier. It should be noted
that the destination of an item may also be pre-communicated to the
carrier. This will most likely be the case for an initial shipment.
However, the invention enables the MO to instruct the carrier of an
item's destination after the carrier has begun processing the item; after
the item is in the delivery stream. This could be important for customer
shipped items (e.g., return merchandise, rental merchandise return or
re-introduction into the delivery stream, charitable donation, etc.),
since the MO may not know when or where the merchandise will re-enter the
carrier's delivery stream or network.

[0094]The destination of the item may be specific (e.g., a street address)
or general (e.g., a postal sorting facility). A determination may be made
of the specific/general nature as indicated by block 88. General
addressing may be used in cases where the MO desires to pre-position
merchandise into certain areas where a demand for the merchandise is
anticipated in the near future.

[0095]If the destination is specific the carrier delivers the item to the
intended recipient as indicated by block 90. If the destination is not
specific the carrier ships the item to the general location as indicated
by block 92. Once the item arrives at the general location, the carrier
can scan the tracking number again as indicated by block 94. A
determination can be provided whether or not a specific destination has
been received by the carrier as indicated by block 96. If the MO has
provided a specific destination for the item, the carrier can deliver the
item to the intended recipient as indicated by block 90. If the MO has
not provided a specific destination for the item, the carrier may store
the item for the MO or deliver the item to a default location (e.g., the
MO's warehouse or nearest distribution center) as indicated by blocks 98
and 100. The default location could be encoded on the item or package
containing the item (e.g., in a 4-state barcode along with the tracking
number). This would ensure that all items were directed to the MO unless
a specific instruction was communicated to the carrier to redirect an
item elsewhere.

[0096]After a customer receives an item they may keep the item or return
the item as indicated by block 102. The item may be returned as a return
of rental inventory or due to problems with or lack of desire for the
item. To return the item the customer simply ships the item as indicated
by block 104. Once the carrier receives the item it can scan the tracking
number and informs the MO. The MO can then specific a new destination of
the item and the process can repeat itself.

[0097]As noted above, and as seen in FIG. 1, when the subsequent intended
recipient 68 is finished with using the article 24 or otherwise wants to
end possession of the article, the article can be returned to the
delivery service provider 12 as indicated by arrow 78. However, entry of
the article back into the delivery stream again could be optional. For
example, when the subsequent intended recipient 68 desires to retain
ownership or possession of the article, the subsequent intended recipient
68 could arrange to purchase the article from the owner/renter 14, such
as when the subsequent intended recipient 68 is a retail store outlet or
just an individual interested in keeping the article. As another example,
the owner/renter 14 could give ownership of the article to the subsequent
intended recipient 68 as a promotional activity. As another example, the
owner/renter 14 could request the subsequent intended recipient 68 not to
re-send the article back into the delivery stream because of actual or
predicted wear or damage of the article.

[0098]Coding on the article could include information about who will be
billed for delivery charges. To protect against misuse, the mailer (e.g.
owner/renter 14) could provide a list of individual articles for which
delivery charges are authorized. MAIL.DAT® implementation could be
used with the initial mailer providing a manifest to the delivery service
provider with re-routing instructions. An email, or other communication,
could be sent to the article owner and/or the recipient when a mail piece
containing the article is scanned by the delivery service provider, such
as when the article enters or re-enters the delivery stream. The delivery
service provider can scan the code on the item and report presence of the
item, and location of item, as well as other parameters if desired. The
rental service or owner can identify new intended recipients to be served
directly when the delivery service provider reports possession of the
item.

[0099]Referring also to FIG. 16, and FIG. 13, the equipment at the renter
is able to receive 202 an order from the rentee at the second input 158.
The equipment can determine 204 the location of the rentee, such as from
previously stored rentee data in the memory 162, or the desired
destination address of the article from the data input into the input 158
from the rentee. The renter's equipment can determine or estimate the
location of the ordered article (or a copy of the ordered article) as
indicated by block 206 based upon location information such as scanned
location information input into the first input 156 from a communication
from the delivery service provider 12, or a prior rentee's location for
example. The equipment of the renter is able to create a file as
indicated by block 208 and send or deliver that file to the delivery
service provider as indicated by block 210. The file can comprise
ID-to-address information for one or more articles. The equipment of the
renter is able to invoice 212 the rentee and, as indicated by block 214
determine re-introduction of the article back into the mail stream. After
the renter's equipment determines that re-introduction has occurred, it
can return to block 206 as indicated by line 216 for processing an
additional order for the article from another rentee.

[0100]Referring also to FIG. 17, an example of some steps the renter's
equipment can use to create the file as indicated in block 208 is shown.
In this example, the renter's equipment determines 218 if at least one
copy of an article has been ordered. If not, then the file can instruct
the delivery service provider (DSP) to hold the article until an order is
received, or ship/deliver the article to a default location (such as back
to the renter for example, or to a storage facility or servicing facility
for example). If there is an outstanding order, as indicated by block 220
the renter's equipment can determine 222 the nearest requesting rentee's
location versus the location of the article, or select 224 a requesting
rentee's location based upon predetermined selection parameters. The
predetermined selection parameters can include, for example, location of
the article and location of the requesting rentee. The file can be
formatted, as indicated by block 230, with a specific delivery address
for each article ID as indicated by block 226 or a list of multiple
possible delivery addresses for each article ID as indicated by block
228. If the file has multiple possible delivery addresses for each
article ID the DSP can select the actual delivery address for each
article based upon this list.

[0101]Referring also to FIG. 18, a status of an article can be recorded or
maintained in the renter's computer 140. As indicated by block 232 a
status of the article is initially established in the renter's computer.
Rentals of the article are then tracked by the renter's computer as
indicated by block 234. As part of the tracking, the renter's computer
can use input as to whether or not the article has been damaged as
indicated by block 238, and whether or not a number of rentals ahs
reached a predetermined number as indicated by block 240. The renter's
computer can establish a scaled purchase price for the article as
indicated by block 236 which can include input from the damage and rental
number blocks 238, 240. If the rental article has been damaged or the
number or rentals has reached the predetermined number, the computer can
be programmed to change the status record of the rental article as
indicated by block 242. This is merely an example and should not be
considered as limiting.

[0102]FIG. 7 describes the process of an MO directing an item to a general
location and then a specific location. However, it is possible for an MO
to direct an item to several general locations prior to informing the
carrier of a specific destination. These general locations might be a
series of jumps which move the item closer to it's intended (specific)
destination. Such an arrangement might be particularly useful for
international shipments where more than one carrier is involved. Such a
capability might also be useful to simply revolve inventory within the
carrier network. Carriers may not want to serve as a "holding pen" for
inventory and could charge additional fees to discourage such behavior on
the part of merchants.

[0103]Optimization matching could be sent to the delivery service provider
such as in a MAIL.DAT® file. Optimization matching could comprise use
of an algorithm for matching customers desiring an article with the
articles in the delivery stream. Optimization matching can include such
factors as location of the article, location of the customer, time for
delivery (slow down or speed up), distance for the article to travel,
cost of the delivery service, prior use by customers desiring the
article, or any other suitable matching parameter. The delivery service
provider can charge less for delivery of items which are re-distributed
locally. This could obviously save the owner/renter delivery costs. The
algorithm can also take into account that people in remote locations
should not be shut out of the system because of redistribution within
more populated areas. Individuals can provide a profile of themselves,
about interests, and provide it to the delivery service provider. If
virtual inventory of marketing material from above has extra articles,
the delivery service provider can determine whether there is someone with
a matching interest who can receive the material.

[0104]The product can be transported from the first intended recipient
without addressing the product to the second intended recipient by the
first intended recipient when the mail piece containing the product is
placed in the second delivery stream. The first delivery stream could
comprise use of a government postal service or a courier service. The
method can comprise scanning the mail piece by the delivery service
provider for a mail piece identifier (perhaps in the form of the article
identifier), wherein the mail piece identifier is on the product and
inside a mail piece packaging which forms the mail piece. The method can
include determining a mail piece delivery address for the second intended
recipient based upon the mail piece identifier. The mail piece does not
need to contain a human readable form of the mail piece delivery address
thereon which can be read from an exterior of the mail piece. The product
or article can comprise a machine readable entertainment storage medium,
such as a DVD for example. The method can comprise delivering mail piece
packagings to a first intended recipient at the first mail piece delivery
address, wherein one of the mail piece packagings is used in transporting
the product to the second intended recipient. Delivering mail piece
packagings to the first intended recipient can be separate from transport
of the product to the first intended recipient and can occur based upon a
pattern of use of the packaging by the first intended recipient. The
first intended recipient can be presented with marketing information with
the delivering of the mail piece packagings to the first intended
recipient.

[0105]Referring also to FIG. 8, one method of the invention can comprise
performing a first non-sale transaction as indicated by block 106, and
then performing a second transaction as indicated by block 108. The first
transaction 106 can comprise having the article transported through a
first delivery stream to a first intended recipient for use by the first
intended recipient, and receiving payment from the first intended
recipient. This could be a rental of the article for example. The second
transaction 108 could comprise having the article transported through a
second delivery stream (which could be by the same delivery service
provider or a different delivery service provider) from the first
intended recipient directly to a second intended recipient by the
delivery service provider, and receiving payment from the second intended
recipient. This could also be a rental of the article, or could be a sale
of the article.

[0106]Referring also to FIG. 10, one of the features of the invention can
be a system and method for addressing the problem of when an article,
such as a rental DVD for example, becomes damaged or is potentially
damaged. With the invention, tracking 120 how many customers have used
the article can be provided. The system and method can include
automatically sending 122 the item back to a distribution center or the
owner after the article has been used by a threshold number of
recipients. The distribution center or owner can then inspect 124 the
article to determine if it is damaged and to determine fitness for
further rental, or for sale as a used article. Alternatively, old or
damaged articles can be discarded.

[0107]A system and method can be provided to include a way for a customer
to indicate 126 that an item is damaged such as, for example, via the
Internet, a marking or indication on an envelope such as a checkbox, or
by means of a DVD player such as a Home Media Center 110 having an
electronic communication capability, such as to the Internet for example.
For example, referring also to FIG. 9, the user/rentee could have a Home
Media Center 110 connected to a printer 112 and a communications link
114. The user/rentee could print a delivery address label with the
printer 112 as directed by the Home Media Center 110 and instructions
received from the owner/renter over the communications link 114.

[0108]If an indication is provided on the envelope by the user/rentee, the
delivery service provider can scan the envelope and can inform the owner.
The owner can then direct the delivery service provider that the item is
to be returned to the owner or the distribution center, or to dispose of
it. For an article such as a DVD, it might be viewed in a media device
that is connected to the Internet. If the DVD is damaged, then a message
can be automatically sent to owner/renter with the damage status. Next
time the DVD enters into the delivery stream of the delivery service
provider, the owner can instruct the delivery service provider to return
the mail piece containing the DVD to the owner/renter or to a
distribution center, or to discard the mail piece with the article. A new
copy of the DVD can be immediately sent to the rentee by the owner/renter
when the owner/renter is notified by the delivery service provider that
the DVD has been received by the delivery service provider.

[0109]The action upon a threshold number of uses/rentals of the article
could be to inspect 124 and/or perform a predetermined event 128 such as
discard, sell, further rental, send to a store, or give away as a gift
for example. Variables or parameters for predicting 130 damage can
include, for example, use of the article by bad users, use of the article
by good users, the number of prior customers that have used the article,
the climate of the region where the article is located, the time of year,
the quality of the delivery handlers (good/bad), the quality of the type
of packaging (good/bad), and the region where the article is located
(city/suburb/rural) (northeast/southeast/etc.). These are only some
examples. Other suitable variables or parameters could be used.

[0110]An algorithm could also be provided for analyzing patterns of damage
by individual users. Some users might damage the rental article more than
other users. Thus, customers could be given a classification or rating.
The algorithm could adjust acceptable usage levels for the articles, such
as DVDs for example, based upon how many "bad" customers use it. Bad
customers could also be cancelled.

[0111]With the invention, a method of processing a rental article can be
provided comprising renting the rental article to a plurality of
consecutive rentees by a renter without returning the rental article to
the renter; tracking a number of the consecutive rentees which the rental
article has been rented to; and upon the number of consecutive rentees,
which the rental article has been rented to, reaching a predetermined
number, performing a predetermined event regarding the rental article.
Performance of the predetermined event 128 could be based upon tracked
uses 120 as indicated by line 132, and/or predicted damage 130 as
indicated by line 134, and/or by inspection 124 as indicated by line 136,
and/or by user indication as indicated by line 138. A system for
determining when to remove a rental article from a consecutive rentee
rental stream can be provided comprising a tracking system for tracking
how many rentees have rented the rental article without the rental
article having been returned to a renter of the rental article; and a
system for removing the rental article, at least temporarily, from the
consecutive rentee rental stream upon a number of the rentees of the
rental article reaching a predetermined number.

[0112]With the invention, a method of renting a rental article can be
provided comprising renting the rental article to a plurality of
consecutive rentees without returning the rental article to a renter of
the rental article between rentals to the rentees; and identifying damage
to the rental article comprising notifying the renter of the damage
before the rental article is returned to the renter. A system for renting
a rental article can be provided comprising a system for sending the
rental article from a first rentee to a second rentee without returning
the rental article to a renter of the rental article; and a system for
making a notification of damage to the rental article before return of
the rental article to the renter.

[0113]It is also possible to use the invention with a prediction of damage
as indicated by block 130 in FIG. 10. A method of predicting damage to a
rental article can be provided comprising tracking movement of the rental
article among rentees of the rental article; and estimating damage to the
rental article based upon the movement of the rental article among the
rentees. This can be provided in a program storage device readable by a
machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the
machine for performing operations to predict damage to a rental article,
the operations comprising tracking movement of the rental article among
rentees of the rental article; and estimating damage to the rental
article based upon the movement of the rental article among the rentees.
A system for renting a rental article can also be provided comprising a
system for communicating by a delivery service provider to a renter
information regarding receipt by the delivery service provider of the
rental article from a first rentee of the rental article and delivery of
the rental article to a second rentee of the rental article by the
delivery service provider; and a system for predicting damage to the
rental article based upon the information from the delivery service
provider.

[0114]The user could have the option to buy the article, such as buying
the DVD. The purchase price could be scaled based on how many times the
article has been rented or used, or how long the article has been in the
rental stream. For example, $20 for an article less than one year old and
rented to less than 20 customers; $15 for an article between 1-2 years
old and rented to less than 20 customers; $14 for an article less than
one years old and rented to 20-40 customers, etc. Alternately, users
could input preferences for price/usage for a list of requested movies,
and movies can be shipped to them for sale when available at that
price/usage level. Users might receive an email or a postcard telling
about the option to keep and/or buy the item. Also, with a media center
connected to the Internet, a similar message might pop up on the screen.
Alternatively, the user might be notified that the DVD is being provided
as a "free gift" as a membership reward. These are only some examples.

[0115]As a further alternative for used articles, such as DVDs, an
algorithm could be used to instruct that the article be delivered to a
local store where it can then be sold as a used article. For example, a
DVD rental company might have both local storefront (brick and mortar)
stores as well as an online Internet rental business. The algorithm could
direct the delivery service provider to deliver used DVDs from the online
Internet rental business to the local storefront (brick and mortar)
stores based upon one or more use, or demand, or inventory parameters. A
virtual inventory network can be used to re-supply stores that may run
short of in-store copies. An algorithm can be applied to determine who
gets priority: a rent by mail customer, or a store that needs a copy.

[0116]The invention can use features directed to business opportunities
created by a virtual inventory in a delivery stream. As an example, the
invention's virtual inventory model could be used for a club that shares
DVDs or CDs by mail among private people, similar to the service provided
by PEERFLIX. The system and method could use blank packaging with a code
on the article showing through. Instead of printing out addresses, the
user would just put the DVD into the packaging and into the mail. A
central database could determine the destination for the mail piece and
communicate that destination to the delivery service provider.

[0117]Customers could be sent a re-supply of envelopes based on tracked
usage. Also, the owner/renter can use the envelope re-supply event as a
direct marketing opportunity. For example, marketing messages can be
based on demographic gathered based on movie viewing habits. The
re-supply could send one envelope at a time for the most direct mail
opportunity. As an example, a direct marketing campaign based on a real
time event, such as a sports event or a political campaign election,
marketing materials can be put into virtual inventory before the event
and released after the event. After the event occurs (e.g., Super Bowl,
concert, elections), and based on data collected about the event,
targeting by direct mail to specific individuals can occur with the items
already in the virtual inventory (the delivery stream). Mobile telephone
GPS can be used to identify people who may have been at a certain
location.

[0118]Virtual inventory allows pre-loading of items in anticipation of a
demand occurring. For example, a number of books can be put into virtual
inventory (in the delivery stream) and, as orders are received, the books
can be re-routed to the nearby ordering customers. For an event such as a
public health threat or disaster (a hurricane for example), anticipated
medicine relief supplies or similar supplies can be put into the virtual
inventory (the delivery stream), and then redirected to an actual site of
need as identified after the event. Thus, for example, for a hurricane
expected to hit New Orleans, supplies can be shipped from California and
New York towards a general destination before the hurricane hits (i.e.,
generally towards Louisiana or generally towards a region such as
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama), and redirected after the hurricane
hits and perhaps before for delivery to specific destinations.
Alternatively, the supplies could be shipped to a specific location, such
as an address in Baton Rouge, La., and redirected to a new address closer
to where the hurricane actually hits land fall before the supplies reach
the initial specific Baton Rouge address. The redirection information or
instruction could come from the owner, the delivery service provider, or
a third party. If the delivery service provider determines that a
recipient is not available, then the delivery service provider can
re-route the mail piece to a next recipient from a list, such as a list
provided by the owner/renter. The delivery service provider can be
provided with a list, and the delivery service can control sending to the
next person on the list. With the invention, control for delivery address
selection during routing of the articles as mail pieces from a previous
user can be shared between the owner/renter and the delivery service
provider, or can be solely the responsibility of the owner/renter; except
perhaps with outsourcing of delivery address labeling by the delivery
service provider.

[0119]With the invention, a method for controlling inventory can be
provided comprising introducing a plurality of products into a delivery
stream of a delivery service provider by a vendor for a rental delivery
of the products to intended recipients; delivering the products to the
intended recipients by the delivery service provider; and re-introducing
at least one of the products back into the delivery stream by at least
one of the intended recipients for a rental delivery to another intended
recipient without returning the at least one product to the vendor. A
method of using a delivery service provider for controlling inventory can
be provided comprising introducing a plurality of products into a
delivery stream of the delivery service provider; providing a list to the
delivery service provider of delivery addresses of first addressees for
the products to be delivered to; and updating the delivery addresses of
at least some of the products with delivery addresses of new respective
addressees. The updated delivery addresses of new respective addressees
can be provided to the delivery service provider for allowing the
delivery service provider to deliver the products to the new addressees
when the products are re-introduced into the delivery stream by the first
addressees.

[0120]With the invention, a method of maintaining a product in a virtual
inventory after an initial shipment of the product by a vendor can be
provided without returning the product to the vendor. The method can
comprise delivering the product to a first intended recipient through a
delivery stream of a delivery service provider; after delivery of the
product to the first intended recipient, communicating by the delivery
service provider to the vendor re-introduction of the product back into
the delivery stream; and delivering the product directly by the delivery
service provider from the first intended recipient to a second intended
recipient based upon delivery information regarding the second intended
recipient provided by the vendor directly to the delivery service
provider. A method of using a delivery service provider to control
locationing of a product can be provided comprising instructing the
delivery service provider to deliver the product in a delivery stream to
a first intended recipient; and when the product is re-introduced into
the delivery stream from the first intended recipient, instructing the
delivery service provider to deliver the product directly to a second
respective intended recipient based, at least partially, upon a location
of the respective product, as reported from the delivery service
provider, to thereby use the delivery stream as a virtual inventory for
the product between the first intended recipient and the second intended
recipient.

[0121]As noted above, a portion of the invention could comprise a
non-rental event. A method of offering a previously used rental article
for sale can be provided comprising determining how many times the rental
article has been rented; and perhaps establishing a scaled purchase price
for selling the rental article based at least partially upon a number of
times the rental article has been rented. A method of selling a rental
article to a purchaser can be provided comprising delivering the rental
article by a delivery service provider directly between rentees without
returning the rental article to a renter of the rental article; and
delivering the rental article by the delivery service provider directly
from one of the rentees to the purchaser upon a predetermined event. A
method of removing a rental article from a rental stream can be provided
comprising identifying the rental article by a delivery service provider
who delivers the rental article directly between rentees; and instructing
the delivery service provider to deliver the rental article to a party
(as part of a non-rental event).

[0122]The non-rental event could include, for example, a pre-order or a
used rental article before used rental article are available, use of a
list of used articles available for purchase from an owner which are in
the delivery stream such as viewable on the Internet, and/or use of an
Internet auction web site similar to EBay® to sell the articles which
are still in the delivery stream (or at least have not been returned to
the owner yet). The timing of an option to buy a used article still in
the delivery stream (or at least which has not been returned to the owner
yet) could be provided at any time, after time period after first
introduction of the article into the virtual inventory, and/or upon
invitation from the owner. The invitation could be provided by any
suitable means including, for example, via a Home Media Center
invitation, by post card, and/or by email. The non-rental event could be
a free gift, such as for membership in an online rental service, a
lottery prize, a promotional marketing give-away, or by an algorithm
having any suitable selection parameters.

[0123]The invention can be directed to servicing and/re-servicing an
article. For example, a method of renting a rental article can comprise
delivering the rental article by a delivery service provider between
rentees without returning the rental article to a renter of the rental
article; and delivering the rental article to an article service
provider, between deliveries of the rental article, to two of the
rentees, based upon a predetermined event. With the invention a method of
delivering an article from a first user to a second user can be provided
comprising transporting the article by a delivery service provider from
the first user to an article service provider for servicing the article,
wherein the article service provider is selected based at least partially
upon proximity of the article to the article service provider; and
transporting the article from the article service provider to the second
user, wherein the second user is selected based at least partially upon
proximity of the second user to the article service provider.

[0124]With the invention a method of delivering an article from an article
service provider to a user can be provided comprising mailing the
article, by use of a delivery service provider, to the user by the
article service provider without the article service provider knowing an
address of the user; and having the delivery service provider deliver the
article to the user based at least partially upon an article identifier
on the article.

[0125]The time period for servicing could be, for example, every time the
article enters the delivery stream, or cyclically, or based upon an
algorithm, or upon detection of a problem with the article. With this
type of servicing method and system, an owner/renter can keep his
customer list secret from a third party servicer. The names and addresses
might only be shared with the delivery service provider. This method also
allows use of a nearest virtual company component (the third party
servicer) to reduce delivery costs. This can provide a virtual company
component (not the owner/renter) by use of third party servicers.
Servicing can include, for example, re-furbishing, cleaning,
re-supplying, repairing, and/or inspecting the article by the servicer.

[0126]One example could comprise a computer printer ink cartridge. Once
the cartridge is spent, it could be sent to a servicer and subsequently
sent to another user without the servicer having knowledge of information
regarding the first user or the subsequent second user. As another
example, rented snow skies could be serviced by a third party servicer
and subsequently sent to another user without the servicer having
knowledge of information regarding the first user or the subsequent
second user. As another example, an owner of a tuxedo could join an
Internet cleaning service for sending the tuxedo out to be cleaned.
Cleaning of the tuxedo could be sent to a local dry cleaner without the
tuxedo owner ever knowing the identity or address of the dry cleaner and
without the dry cleaner knowing the identity or address of the tuxedo
owner. This type of example illustrates that the invention does not need
a renter/rentee environment.

[0127]With the invention, the owner could sell its inventory to a new
company without having to change labels on the articles. Owner name on
the mail piece packaging might only be changed. Articles could be
documents, such as books for example. The invention could be used in a
peer-to-peer type of sharing, similar to PeerFlix®. Information
inside an envelope can be used to ascertain a delivery address of a mail
piece with different delivery addresses at different times without
changing information inside the mail piece packaging.

[0128]With the invention, a method for delivering a product can be
provided comprising performing a first non-sale transaction comprising
having the product transported through a first delivery stream to a first
intended recipient for use by the first intended recipient, and receiving
payment from the first intended recipient; and performing a second
transaction comprising having the product transported through a second
delivery stream from the first intended recipient directly to a second
intended recipient by a delivery service provider, and receiving payment
from the second intended recipient. The product can be transported from
the first intended recipient without addressing the product to the second
intended recipient by the first intended recipient when placed in the
second delivery stream.

[0129]Delivering of the mail piece packagings to the first intended
recipient can be separate from transport of the product to the first
intended recipient. A method of sequentially delivering an article to a
plurality of the intended recipients can be provided comprising
determining a first delivery address of the article while the article is
inside a first mail piece packaging as a first mail piece; and
determining a second delivery address of the article while the article is
inside a second mail piece packaging as a second mail piece, wherein the
article comprises a machine only readable address identifier used in
determining both the first and the second delivery addresses. In one
embodiment, no other human readable delivery address identification which
might be viewable from an exterior of the mail piece is located on the
mail piece prior to scanning. The mail piece might not contain a delivery
address when mailed.

[0130]With the invention, a method of routing a mail piece in a delivery
system can be provided comprising receiving the mail piece by a delivery
service provider; initially moving the mail piece in a delivery stream of
the delivery service provider towards a first delivery address; after the
mail piece has at least partially completed transit in the delivery
stream of the delivery service provider, scanning the mail piece by the
delivery service provider to determine a mail piece identifier of the
mail piece; determining a new delivery address of the mail piece by the
delivery service provider based upon the scanned mail piece identifier
and information supplied to the delivery service provider after initial
moving of the mail piece in the delivery stream of the delivery service
provider; and delivering the mail piece to the new delivery address. The
mail piece does not necessarily comprise a human readable form of the
first delivery address viewable from an exterior of the mail piece when
received by the delivery service provider. The mail service provider
could provides a human readable form of the first delivery address
viewable from an exterior of the mail piece when received by the delivery
service provider. Communicating a general location of the mail piece when
scanned to an interested party could be provided. The determining of the
new delivery address could comprise use of an algorithm including
location of the mail piece when scanned to determine the new delivery
address. The information supplied to the delivery service provider after
initial moving of the mail piece in the delivery stream might not be sent
to the mail service provider from an intended recipient of the mail
piece. The information supplied to the delivery service provider after
initial moving of the mail piece in the delivery stream can be sent to
the mail service provider by an owner of an article inside the mail
piece. The information supplied to the delivery service provider after
initial moving of the mail piece in the delivery stream can be sent to
the mail service provider by a mailer of the mail piece. The mail piece
identifier can comprise a bar code on a product inside the mail piece,
and scanning can comprise scanning the bar code while the product is
inside the mail piece. The mail piece identifier can comprises a radio
frequency identification tag on a product inside the mail piece, and
scanning can comprise scanning the radio frequency identification tag
while the product is inside the mail piece.

[0131]A system for delivering mail pieces can be provided comprising a
system for scanning the mail pieces for determining a mail piece
identifier inside each mail piece, wherein the mail piece of identifiers
do not contain a delivery address; and a system for determining delivery
addresses of the mail pieces based upon the mail piece identifier of each
mail piece. The mail piece identifier can comprise a bar code, and the
system for scanning can be adapted to scan the bar code while the bar
code is inside the mail piece. The mail piece identifier can comprise a
radio frequency identification tag, and the system for scanning can be
adapted to scan the radio frequency identification tag while the tag is
inside the mail piece. The mail piece identifier can comprises a code,
and the system for scanning can be adapted to scan the code while the
code is inside the mail piece. The system for delivering mail pieces can
further comprise a system for charging an interested party a delivery fee
based upon the mail piece identifier of each mail piece. The system for
delivering mail pieces can further comprise a system for verifying the
identifier of each mail piece. The mail piece comprises a window for
optically viewing the mail piece identifier during scanning. The mail
piece identifier can comprise a visual scannable identifier, and the mail
piece can comprises packaging to allow insertion of an article in only
one orientation to allow scanning of the identifier through a window of
the packaging. The mail piece identifier can comprise a visual scannable
identifier, and the mail piece comprises packaging could allow insertion
of an article in only two orientations to allow scanning of the
identifier through one of two windows of the packaging on opposite sides
of the packaging. The system for determining the delivery addresses of
the mail pieces can comprise a system for receiving an electronic file
containing mail piece identifiers relative to delivery addresses. The
system for determining the delivery addresses of the mail pieces can
comprise an algorithm adapted to select one of the delivery addresses for
each mail piece based upon at least one delivery parameter including
current location of the mail piece. The algorithm can be adapted to use
cost of delivery of the mail piece to a delivery address as one of the
delivery parameters.

[0132]A system for controlling delivery of mail pieces by a mailer can be
provided comprising a system for mailing each of the mail pieces without
providing a human readable delivery address of an intended recipient
viewable from an exterior of the mail piece; and a system for providing a
delivery service provider with intended delivery addresses for the mail
pieces corresponding to respective mail piece identifiers inside the mail
pieces.

[0133]The system for mailing can comprise providing the mail piece
identifier on an article inside the mail pieces. The identifier can
comprises a bar code on the article viewable from an exterior of the mail
piece through a window in mail piece packaging of the mail piece. The
identifier can comprise a radio frequency identification tag on the
article. The system for providing the delivery service provider with
intended delivery addresses can comprise delivering an electronic file to
the delivery service provider comprising a list or correlation of mail
piece identifiers with intended delivery addresses.

[0134]A method for controlling inventory can be provided comprising
introducing a plurality of products into a delivery stream of a delivery
service provider by a vendor for a rental delivery of the products to
intended recipients; delivering the products to the intended recipients
by the delivery service provider; and re-introducing at least one of the
products back into the delivery stream by at least one of the intended
recipients for a rental delivery to another intended recipient without
returning the at least one product to the vendor.

[0135]Introducing the plurality of products into the delivery stream by
the vendor comprises depositing the products with the delivery service
provider as mail pieces without delivery addresses on the mail pieces.
The method can further comprise delivering the at least one product to
the another intended recipient by the delivery service provider based
upon the identifying information on the mail piece, wherein the
identifying information on the mail piece does not include a delivery
address of the another intended recipient. The method can further
comprise communicating re-introducing of the at least one product into
the delivery stream to the vendor. The method can further comprise
electronically communicating delivery of the products to the intended
recipients by the delivery service provider. The method can further
comprise tracking location of the products after re-introducing the
products back into the delivery stream, and electronically communicating
the location of the products to the vendor. The method can further
comprise tracking location of the products after introducing the products
into the delivery steam and before delivery of the products to the
intended recipients, and electronically communicating the location of the
products to the vendor. The method can further comprise delivering an
electronic file having information regarding mail pieces containing the
products from the vendor to the delivery service provider. The method can
further comprise determining a new delivery address for the product
re-introduced into the delivery stream by the intended recipient based,
at least partially, upon a location of the product, as reported from the
delivery service provider, to thereby use the delivery stream as a
virtual inventory for the product between the intended recipient and the
another intended recipient.

[0136]The method can further comprise providing a list to the delivery
service provider of delivery addresses of first addressees for the
products to be delivered to; and updating the delivery addresses of at
least some of the products with delivery addresses of new respective
addressees, and providing the updated delivery addresses of new
respective addressees to the delivery service provider for allowing the
delivery service provider to thereby deliver the products to the new
addressees when the products are re-introduced into the delivery stream.

[0137]A method of using a delivery service provider for controlling
inventory can be provided comprising introducing a plurality of products
into a delivery stream of the delivery service provider; providing a list
to the delivery service provider of delivery addresses of first
addressees for the products to be delivered to; and updating the delivery
addresses of at least some of the products with delivery addresses of new
respective addressees, and providing the updated delivery addresses of
new respective addressees to the delivery service provider for allowing
the delivery service provider to thereby deliver the products to the new
addressees when the products are re-introduced into the delivery stream
by the first addressees.

[0138]Introducing the products into the delivery stream can comprise
mailing the products as mail pieces. Introducing the products into the
delivery stream can comprise mailing the mail pieces with identifying
information which does not including delivery addresses. Providing a list
can comprise providing information in the list correlating the
identifying information on the mail pieces to delivery addresses. The
method can further comprise re-introducing the products into the delivery
stream as mail pieces by the first addressees, wherein the mail pieces
comprise delivery identifying information which does not including the
delivery addresses of the new respective addressees. The method can
further comprise electronically communicating the re-introducing of the
products into the delivery stream to an owner/renter of the products. The
method can further comprise electronically communicating the
re-introducing of the products into the delivery stream to the intended
recipients at the new respective addressees. The method can further
comprise electronically communicating the re-introducing of the products
into the delivery stream to a third party. The method can further
comprise electronically communicating occurrence of delivery of the
products to the first addressees by the delivery service provider. The
method can further comprise tracking location of the products after the
re-introducing of the products back into the delivery stream, and
electronically communicating the location of the products to an
owner/renter of the products. The method can further comprise tracking
location of the products after introducing the products into the delivery
steam and before delivery of the products to the first addressees, and
electronically communicating the location of the products to an
owner/renter of the products. The method can further comprise determining
new delivery addresses for the products re-introduced into the delivery
stream by the first addressees based, at least partially, upon a location
of the product, to thereby use the delivery stream as a virtual inventory
for the products between the first addressees and the new addressees. The
method can further comprise providing the products as mail pieces, and
coding the mail pieces with delivery identifying information to be used
by the delivery service provider to determine the delivery addresses for
the mail pieces, wherein the delivery identifying information does not
comprise a delivery address.

[0139]A method of processing a rental article can be provided comprising
renting the rental article to a plurality of consecutive rentees by a
renter without returning the rental article to the renter; tracking a
number of the consecutive rentees which the rental article has been
rented to; and upon the number of consecutive rentees, which the rental
article has been rented to, reaching a predetermined number, changing a
status of the rental article. The method can further comprise, upon
changing the status of the rental article, performing a predetermined
event regarding the rental article.

[0140]A system for determining when to remove a rental article from a
consecutive rentee rental stream can be provided comprising a tracking
system for tracking how many rentees have rented the rental article
without the rental article having been returned to a renter of the rental
article; and a system for removing the rental article, at least
temporarily, from the consecutive rentee rental stream upon a number of
the rentees of the rental article reaching a predetermined number.

[0141]The system for removing the rental article can be adapted to
automatically instruct a delivery service provider to delivery the rental
article to a predetermined location. The system for removing the rental
article can be adapted to inspect the rental article for damage at the
predetermined location. The system for removing the rental article can be
adapted to deliver the rental article to the predetermined location for
sale. The system for removing the rental article can be adapted to
discard the rental article. The system for removing the rental article
can comprise a communications device at a location of a rentee which is
adapted to send an electronic communication to the renter. The
communications device can comprise an electronic entertainment media
center. The system for removing the rental article can comprise a rentee
signaled indicia on a mail piece packaging of the rental article. The
system for removing the rental article can comprise an algorithm for
predicting damage to the rental article. The algorithm can comprises
variables selected from a group comprising use of the rental article by
bad rentees, use of the rental article by good rentees, a number of prior
rentees that have used the rental article, climate of a region where the
rental article is located, time of year, quality of a delivery service
provider who delivers the rental article between rentees, quality of a
type of packaging used for the rental article, and/or a country or
population region where the rental article is located. The system can
further comprise a communications system for communicating delivery
instructions from the renter to a delivery service provider after
delivery of the rental article from the rentee to the delivery service
provider and before delivery from the delivery service provider to the
renter.

[0142]A system for renting a rental article can be provided comprising a
system for sending the rental article from a first rentee to a second
rentee without returning the rental article to a renter of the rental
article; and a system for making a notification of damage to the rental
article before return of the rental article to the renter. The system for
sending can comprise a product identifier inside a mail piece packaging
of the rental article which is adapted to be read from outside the mail
piece packaging. The system for sending can comprise a system for
determining the product identifier by a delivery service provider without
opening the mail piece packaging. The system for sending can comprise a
system for determining an address of the second rentee by the delivery
service provider based upon the product identifier of the rental article
and a communication from the renter. The system for sending can comprise
a system for communicating by the renter to a delivery service provider
an address of the second rentee based upon the product identifier.

[0143]The system for making a notification of damage can comprise a system
for sending an electronic communication from a media player of the first
rentee to the renter. The system for making a notification of damage can
comprise a system for sending an electronic communication from a delivery
service provider to the renter. The system for making a notification of
damage can comprise an indicia on a mail piece packaging of the rental
article deposited by the first rentee with a delivery service provider.
The system can further comprise a system for estimating the damage to the
rental article before return of the rental article to the rentee.

[0144]A system for renting a rental article can be provided comprising a
system for receiving a communication, by a delivery service provider to a
renter, of information regarding receipt by the delivery service provider
of the rental article from a first rentee of the rental article and/or
delivery by the delivery service provider of the rental article between
the first rentee and a second rentee of the rental article; and a system
for predicting damage to the rental article based upon the information
from the delivery service provider.

[0145]The system for communicating can be adapted to communicate rentee
indicated damage of the rental article to the renter. The system for
predicting damage can comprise an algorithm. The system for predicting
damage can comprise an algorithm for using the information communicated
by the system for communicating to the renter.

[0146]A method of removing a rental article from a rental stream can be
provided comprising identifying the rental article for a non-rental event
while the rental article is in the rental stream; and modifying a record,
based upon the identifying of the rental article for the non-rental
event, to instruct a delivery service provider to deliver the rental
article to a predetermined location.

[0147]A method of removing a rental article from a rental stream can be
provided comprising identifying the rental article by a delivery service
provider who delivers the rental article directly between rentees; and
instructing the delivery service provider to deliver the rental article
to a party as a non-rental event.

[0148]Referring also to FIG. 19, a block diagram of one example of
functional modules of a renter's computer 244 is shown. In this
embodiment the computer 244 comprises the following functional modules
(provided through software and hardware):

[0149]a. A time based rental charge determiner 246;

[0150]b. A scaled purchase pricer 248;

[0151]c. Rental article status records 250;

[0152]d. An article service provider selector 252;

[0153]e. A third party virtual company selector 254;

[0154]f. An invoicing module 256;

[0155]g. A number of rentals tracker 258;

[0156]h. A damage tracker/estimator 260;

[0157]i. A proximity determinator 262 (article versus rentee);

[0158]j. A delivery cost efficiency maximizer 264;

[0159]k. A delivery address updater 266 for DSP communication;

[0160]l. A delivery timing and delivery path selector 268; and

[0161]m. A customer accounts module 270 for rentee data.

[0162]These are merely examples of functional modules which the renter's
computer could have. In alternate embodiments, more or less functional
modules could be provided. One or more of the functional modules could
share common software and/or hardware components.

[0163]It should be understood that the foregoing description is only
illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can
be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the
invention. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such
alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of
the appended claims.